Midleton to Youghal Greenway

Midleton is a charming market town with an array of restaurants, cafes and bars with the Midleton Farmer’s Market taking place every Saturday morning. The town serves as a fantastic start or end point for exploring the Greenway. Other local places of note include Midleton Distillery Experience and the striking ‘Kindred Spirits’ sculpture. 

Starting at Midleton train station, the Greenway soon leaves the town behind and continues through an agricultural landscape and biodiversity corridor rich with wildflowers in summer. A riverside seating area at Roxborough offers an ideal spot to enjoy the bluebells in spring while nearby, a bridge showcases the innovative use of redundant wind turbine blades. Continue on to Mogeely where the trailhead at the former railway station is an ideal rest point. A local playground is located just off the Greenway in Mogeely village. 

Leaving Mogeely behind, hedgerows of whitethorn, blackthorn, elder, oak and crab apple trees are in abundance. In this section, a striking water tower dominates the skyline and is a visible reminder of the area’s history connected with plans for the development of an airship base during the First World War. Overhead, keep an eye out for the Kestrel which can sometimes be seen hovering in search for food. 

Killeagh provides an excellent mid-point on the route with a beautifully landscaped area set aside for seating and rest with the old railway signal box intact. If you choose to leave the Greenway, shops and cafes can be accessed in the nearby village of Killeagh. While there, take time to explore Glenbower Woods – an ancient woodland with easy walking trails through oak, ash and beech trees. Paths wind around the scenic Dissour River, with the remains of the old estate follies dotted throughout the forest. 

The final leg involves the approach into Youghal passing through Ballyvergan Marsh, the largest reedbed in County Cork. The marsh is home to a range of species including the hen harrier and grasshopper warblers. Ireland’s largest dragonfly, the Emperor Dragonfly, is also common during the summer months – see if you can spot it! The route finishes at the Greenway car park close to the old railway station and the Front Strand promenade, providing a coastal conclusion to the Greenway route. The town centre is approximately 1 kilometre away from the Greenway. It is well worth a visit with the medieval town centre, featuring visitor attractions such as Youghal Clock Gate Tower, St. Mary’s Collegiate Church and 13th century town walls as well as many cafes, restaurants and pubs. 

Towards Cork City Centre 

You can continue your journey into Cork City by exiting the train station at Midleton and turning right on to the Upper Mill Road – this road has no cycleway or footpath. Travel on this road for approximately 2.6km before turning left onto the L3617 – this road has no cycleway or footpath so appropriate care should be taken. On reaching the outskirts of Carrigtwohill, a footpath will be available.  

On the other side of Carrigtwohill (past the primary care centre), a dedicated cycleway and footpath runs for approximately 8.7km. This route comprises a wide, shared used space separated from the road by a kerb with native planting present in a buffer providing for an enjoyable and comfortable experience. As well as passing Harper’s Island wetlands reserve, there is also a wide array of cafes and restaurants along this route as well as benches situated at regular intervals. This route ends in the approach to the Dunkettle Roundabout. You are on the outskirts of the city – the safest option for the last section involves travelling along local roads in a shared traffic environment. 

Towards Waterford City Centre 

You can continue your journey towards Waterford City by exiting the trailhead in Youghal and turning right continuing for approximately 1km into the town centre. This is a busy, urban environment with a footpath, there is no cycle lane. Leaving the town, you will continue along the R634 for approximately 3km with the footpath ending at Millenium Court. Upon crossing the river Tohrig, you will reach a roundabout and join the N25 – this is a busy, high-speed environment with a hard shoulder. The bridge crossing over the River Blackwater provides a narrow footpath – you can opt to continue your journey (c. 30km) to Dungarvan by way of local roads, this is part of the Euro Velo 1 route, so signage is present for navigational purposes. Upon reaching Dungarvan, you can opt to join the Waterford Greenway which provides segregated connectivity to Waterford City.